m ay 2 0 1 7 3 1 Clockwise from top left: courtesy photo; africa studios; courtesy nasa; NASA Photo / Bill Ingalls; adobe stock Bristol native Zach Miller recently found himself catapulted into internet stardom after popular dating app Tinder partnered with People Magazine to declare him “The Sexiest Man in Maine.” Since then,”I’ve been featured on the MTV reality show Catfish,” Miller says. “MTV contacted me again for a dating show called The One, but they mistook me for heterosexual, so I wasn’t cast.” Despite this, “My daily life hasn’t changed as a result,” insists the 25-year-old photographer. Online, how- ever, Miller is getting a lot of attention. “Plenty of marriage proposals; hun- dreds of messages, many attempting to determine my sexuality; and some negative reactions on Twitter. You’ll find the most insecure people on Twitter.” A UMaine student faces fines and investigation after traveling in an Augusta-based cab with five baby alligators.Yifan Sun, 20, a sociology major, was reportedly taking the reptiles to visit a friend in Waterville, but by the time the taxi arrived at Concord Coach bus station, an Animal Control Officer was waiting.The penalty for the possession or importation of wildlife without a permit comes with a minimum fine of $50.00, though Warden Allarie believe Sun will face “roughly $150” in fines.As for the ‘gators? “We have to provide them with a good home,” says John MacDonald of the Maine Warden Service. “It’s not always easy, and it’s fairly labor intensive.” The ‘gators are being held at a local rehabilitation center until an out-of-state home is found. Looking for an exit strategy from Earth? Thank Maine’s Chris Cassidy for furthering progress. President Trump re- cently signed a bill awarding $19.5 billion to NASA. Human exploration of Mars is now an active goal for the space agency, according to Time Maga- zine. Capt. Cassidy, USN, a York High grad and former Navy SEAL, is Chief of the Astronaut Office at NASA. Not counting this White House photo shoot, he’s spent 182 days in space. The world’s most expensive spice could soon bloom in Maine, despite its legendary source in Persia. Echoing a British trend (“Cultivation of exotic spice returns to Essex, UK, for the first time in 200 years,” Daily Mail), researchers at the University of Vermont have successful- ly grown several crops of saffron crocuses in polytunnels and are encouraging growth here. Strands of saffron are worth more than their weight in silver, sometimes gold. Um, waiter, is this farm-to-table saffron locally produced?